How Do I Choose A Roofing Contractor? (Part One of Two)

The roof is one of the easiest elements to overlook when thinking about your home. It’s often only when there is a problem with your roof that you even notice it. But as any good real estate agent will tell you: a well installed and properly maintained roof is a critical element that makes your home much more marketable to prospective buyers. It not only protects you and your family from the elements, but it adds structural stability as well as being a major component of your home’s overall aesthetic appeal. All of these are reasons that homeowners need to be well-informed when it comes to choosing a roofing contractor for a roof repair or replacement.

The first step every homeowner should do it to arm themselves with a list of key questions to ask the roofing contractors that they are seeking bids from. The lowest priced quote is not always the best deal when you consider that it may cost you time, money and frustration down the road if they provide inferior product or do a shoddy job with the installation. It’s true that improper installation can also void the warranty the manufacturer offers on the roofing product – so choosing a knowledgeable, experienced and certified roofing contractor is critical.

Additionally, you’ll want to do your own research to investigate the reputation of the potential roofer you are thinking of hiring. Do a basic “Google” search to see what their reviews are like (on 3rd party independent websites like HomeAdvisor.com, ThumbTack.com or Angie’s List.) Do not make a decision without doing this research first. Homeowners who only consider the reviews that the roofing contractor chooses to post on their own website are doing themselves a huge disservice by limiting their scope in this manner. The same story goes for only checking the references that they provide. You’ll want to do your due diligence to get honest feedback on the quality of their work and service from an impartial (and real) past customer.

A good friend of mine called me up the other day to tell me that their roof was in really rough shape and they needed to find a good contractor. In the article you suggested asking the contractor what materials they will be using to make the fence, as you’ll want high quality materials. I’ll have to advise my friend to look online and learn which materials are considered the best, and make sure the roofer uses those.

Thank you for talking about the importance of not only looking at online reviews when choosing a roofer. It makes sense that comparing several companies and talking with previous customers can help you find someone to care for your shingles. I would imagine that consulting with the BBB could provide you with a list of reputable contractors to work with.

Thanks for the tips for choosing a roofing contractor. My wife and I really want to have our roof replaced this year, but we haven’t found the right roofer. I like that you mentioned to make sure you ask plenty of questions to multiple contractors so you can compare who is right for you. We will be sure to do that.

Thank you for the tremendous read. You wrote in the article that you should choose a roofer that can provide the highest quality roof, and not necessarily the lowest price. Especially if you are a business and need a great roof to protect your business and employees. With a roofer that focuses on quality, you could rest assured knowing that they have installed a roof that can hold up against any weather.

We’ve been looking for someone who could do some roof repair services at my parents home after we found a few leaks. I’m glad that you mentioned in your article a few questions to ask potential roof repair services, and that the lowest price isn’t always the best. I’m going to have to see if we can find a few different local roof repair services that could help us get the leaks taken care of and make sure we ask the questions to make sure that we’re choosing the best one.

I need to find a roofing contractor, so these are great. I like how you said to do some research to find a roofer with a good reputation. The shingles on my roof are starting to curl and peel, so I think it’s time to hire a pro! I’ll start with an online search.

I like how you suggest researching reviews of a roofing service that don’t exist on their website. My brother is looking to have their roof repaired since a tree branch damaged it a couple of days ago. I’ll be sure to tell him that he should look into researching his possible roofing services to make sure they give their customers the best.

The roofing on our house is getting pretty old and damaged, but we weren’t sure how to find the right person to fix it up for us. I love your point about researching the reputation of the potential roofer. That way, you will be able to find someone that everybody gets great work from.